1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a walking pattern processing method and a system for embodying the same and, more particularly, a walking pattern processing method of measuring human walking actions, analyzing the results of measurement, and displaying them as parameters and a system for embodying the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, there has been two means as means for analyzing and processing walking patterns, i.e., means using a force plate and means using a pressure distribution sensor in foot size.
According to the means using the force plate, force change in walking can be measured in time series. However, neither pressure distribution in a foot contact region of foot, nor foot contact location in walking can be measured.
Alternatively, according to the means using the pressure distribution sensor in foot size, if the inner bottom of shoes is covered with the pressure distribution sensor in foot size, not only pressure distribution in the footmark can be measured, but also respective instants of foot contact and heel off can be measured. However, location of foot contact in walking cannot be measured.
As a method of measuring location of foot contact, there have been merely troublesome measuring methods such as method of walking with inked feet on the sheet to then measure location of foot contact, method of taking a video of walking together with scale and then measuring location of foot contact while reproducing the video, or the like.
Likewise, as a method of displaying the results of analysis of walking patterns in the prior art, there have been several methods such as direct display of respective parameter values, statistical display thereof, etc. However, it has been difficult to accumulate a great deal of data because of their insufficient measuring methods. Accordingly, no display method by which a large amount of data are able to be easily grasped has not developed yet. Furthermore, as a conventional display method of common walking parameters, there have been display methods, e.g., those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. However, since both figures are only for use in conceptual explanations, there is given no means for implementing such display methods equivalent to these figures to display the actual measured and analyzed results.
As explained previously, there has been a problem that it is difficult for the conventional analyzing method to display parameters associated with location and time of foot contact simultaneously and simply. Furthermore, as for display of the measured results, there has been another problem that, if the walking action which is taken as a time series phenomenon performed in three-dimensional space is depicted on the two-dimensional paper either by a few parameters or as the schematic view, such walking action would be hard to be understood intuitively and also would require a great amount of skill to be grasped.